So what you are saying is that there is not need to do an inventory after an import job. BE will try the imported tapes to see whether they are suitable. Is this still true when the import job is done, say 10 minutes, before the backup job.
The need to do an inventory depends upon a variety of factors:
- Does the tape have a bar code and the library have a bar code reader? If yes, then the need for inventories is reduced greatly, but not eliminated as the only way to know some things for sure is to mount the tape in the tape drive and read it.
- Is the tape and/or bar code already "known" to BE (meaning that it is in the BE database and the tape hasn't been altered externally)? If yes, then the need for inventories is reduced.
- Is a backup job running and asking for overwritable media to be imported? If yes, then there is no need to run an inventory as BE will test the media for itself automatically, as it has for many, many years. If no, then you MAY want to run an inventory.
- Is the tape brand new or from some other environment? If yes, then I would do an inventory and an erase job to make sure it is the BE database and is ready for use.
Notice that BE has an "add-on" option when doing an import in that you can automatically have it do an inventory job also. This has many benefits as you cannot run an inventory job from the GUI until the media is in the storage slot. So using the combined import & inventory job reduces effort & reduces human error.